Drought Fears Prompting Early Mobilization

The North Korean authorities are mobilizing people onto farms earlier than usual amid worsening drought conditions in Hwanghae Province
and the western breadbasket area, an inside source has conveyed.

The Hwanghae-based source told Daily NK on the 28th
that, “In a bid to mitigate the drought damage people were mobilized to farms immediately after the Day of the Sun holiday [April 15th]. Work starts at 7am and continues until 8pm at
night, when it’s so dark you can’t see anything in front of you. People have to carry out cultivation tasks of course, but this time they have also been given a daily quota to fill when bringing water to the fields.”

“After Military Foundation
Day [April 25th], another order came down calling for the mobilization of all students. The people are perplexed as they had expected to be finished by now. After
all, this isn’t the time of year when mobilization usually takes place. They’re wondering if they have to stay longer than they first thought now that the students are involved,” the source continued. 

Typically in North Korea, students, government workers and members
of the Women’s Unions are mobilized to the nation’s farms over a 40-day period from mid-May. However, this appears to have been brought forward by an entire month out of concerns that rice alternatives like barley, potatoes and corn will be lost if drought conditions continue.

Furthermore, the source assessed, “Early mobilization shows the incompetence of the authorities in that they have not come up with any proper coping mechanism. They have no other alternative
but to call on the efforts of the people in dealing with the drought issue.”

Raising further concern over the effectiveness of the
official response is that most people remain apathetic to mobilization calls despite consistent reminders by the authorities. 

“Some who make their living in the markets are making
up excuses to avoid being mobilized. [Mobilization] managers can take
anywhere from 5000 to 10,000 won per day in bribes from these people just to look the other way,” the source revealed.

“They say everyone must go out and work, but when asked, only naive people put their hand up and volunteer. With the exception of the children of Party
cadres, all students are mobilized to the farms.  They have to work hard at school at the
same time which just adds to the strain.”

Meanwhile, a Hyesan-based source confirmed that annual farming tasks are not yet underway in Yangkang
Province, with mass mobilization expected to kick off in mid-May.